Distributor point grinder



Aug. 18,193. H; J MCCONNELL ET AL 2,051,309

DISTRIBUTOR POINT GRINDER Filed Jan. 14, 1935 Izy Patented Aug. 18, 1936 DISTRUTOR POINT GRINDER Harry J. McConnell and Robert G.

Springfield, Il].

McConnell,

Application January 14, 1935, Serial No. 1,622

6 Claims.

This invention relates to grinding mechanism, and, more particularly, to' manually operated mechanism for grinding distributor breaker points and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of. a new and improved device for simultaneously grinding the two breaker points of a distributor and having novel means for adjusting the grinder element.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved means for slidably and rotatably holding the grinder supporting arm and securing thesame in adjusted position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved breaker point grinding device which is inexpensive to manufacture, composed of few parts, easily assembled, efiicient in operation and having a universa] adjustment, light and simple in construction, and which may be readily attached in position on a distributor box or bowl.

Other and further objects and advantages of. the invention will appear fromthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a distributor of an automobile, with parts removed and parts broken away, and showing the invention in position for grinding the sparker points;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the device through the supporting arm and clamping link member; and

. Fig.3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character Il) designates a conventional distributor with the cap or cover removed for the salie of clearness. As is usual in such constructions, the distributor comprises the housing Il within which the distributor shaf.t l2 extends. This shaft is fiattened at its upper end at one or both sides as at l3 for engaging the rotor or distributor brush in the usual manner. A cam l4 is mounted on the shaft for operating the movable spring-pressed contact arm l5 which is pivoted at [6. This arm is provided at its free end with a contact point I! which in turn is adapted to make intermittent contact with a fixed contact point I 8 on the contact support I9. The housing is also provided with clips 20 which are adapted t0 engage the cap for holding the same in position on the housing. Since the details of the distributor are of the usual or any well-known construction and constitute no part of the present invention, it is not thought necessary to further illustrate or describe the same.

In electrical devices having breaker points, as, for instance, the make and break contacts of a distributor for the ignition system of internal combustion engines and the like, it is desirable that these points be maintained smooth in order that the maximum spark may be delivered by the spark plugs which are supplied with electrica energy through these points.

Extended use of the distributor results in wearing away of the breaker points and often the con- 10 tacting surface of these points become irregular by the formation of projections and depressions on the contacting faces thereof which materially afiect the operation of the ignition system by improper discharge of the spark. The present invention is d-esigned for the purpose of. grinding the contacting faces of these points to make them smooth whereby the discharge controlled by them will beconcentrated and the ignition system operate to greater advantage.

Referring especiallyyto Figs. 1 and 2, the grinding device comprisesa support 2l which is pref erably, though not necessarily, in the form of a clamp having the clamping jaws 22 and 23 with the thumbscrew 24 extending through one of the jaws for attaching the support to the side wall of the distributor housing, as clearly shown in Fig.

1 of the drawing.

The support 2 I .has an upwardly extending projection 25 on which a bail member 26 is rigidly mounted, as by being threaded thereon. A link member 2! has one end provided with a split clamp 28 having a socket 29 for engaging the ball 26 for forming an adjustable universal joint.

The opposite end of the linkymember 21 is also in the form of a split clamp 3l having a socket 32 for engaging a clamping ball member 33 for forming an adjustable universal joint, as will presently appear. The ends of the split clamp members 28 and 31 areturned in opposite direc- 40 tions and a thumb screw 34 extends through the free end of the clamp 28 and through the body of the link member and is threaded' into the free end .of the clamp 28, whereby universal adjustment may be had and on tightening the thumb 45 scr-ew 34, the link memberis rigidly secured in adjustedposition relative to both of. the clamping hall members 26 and 33.

Slidably and rotatabIy mounted in the clamp ing ball 33 is a supporting arm 35. The clamp- 50 ing ball member 33 is provided with slots 36 that divide the member into clamping portions which are adapted to be clamped against the supporting arm for holding the same in adjusted position. The supporting arm 35 is hollow and is prefer- 55 th thumb scrw 34 is tightened to hold the parts ably curved at its lower end, whereby the same may be more readil adjustedto et position for grinding the breaker points, of a distributor, as will preSently appear. A flexible shaf t 31 extends through the arm 35 and has mounted on its 1ipper end a crank 38in any suitable manner, and on its lower end a grinder. or grinding disk 39 is adapted to be attached by*any appropriate means. *'The flexible shaft 31 may be of any sitable construction. In the form shown, which is by way of example only, a, rod 4l constitutes the end to which the crank 38 is attached. The

'. outer end of the rod 4l is* threaJded forreciving r athreaded washer 42 Which limits the inward movement of said rod. As shown, migre-particu- 1arly in Fig; 2, the crank 38 is provided with a threaded aperture for engaging the threaded.end

of the rbd. The opposite, or lower end of the flexible, shaft comprises a closely woundelongate coil of yvire or tbe:like, the uppergend of which is in any 's uitablemannei, as b p1oviding a recess onthe end (if the ro d intO 'Whh theflexible portion of;tl1e shait bxtends, and is held therein bxfan sitable means as bydistorting the side Wall of the aperture, or b means Of'solder';-

Th loWer end ofthe fleXibIe'shatthas attached thereto a head 44 having a cll ar or shoulder45 which thegrindefi le mentor grinding disk 39] thuinb nut 4 11 engage the lower end f thegsupporting arm 35' forliihiting the upWard movement of the flexible shaf t and to constitu te anabutmeint against any de sired position about the cl'anrp 2l and be' rigidly secured in adjusted position by tightenin Wiien th ;parts are assemb led, the'r tation of the crank 38 will cause Corresponding rotation Of the 1ir1der leniant 39-through the flexible shaft 3li In the-useof the device, the support 2 l,

is preferably clamped on the si-dejwil of the r 7 hqusing; as shown'in. Fig. 1, the thumb screw 34 loosen'ed and the 'clamping link and A supporting ar m s'o adjusted that the grlnderelment 39 Will be between the sparker points l6 and H, th c'am in whicl1 the two breaker piointsare norrinally in contact. Tlie ar-rn l5 having been'moved o\it wardly, and the diskplaced between two points, the arm 15 is released. The plane 'of the ,grinder lement 39' is so adjusted that it will be at right ariglstdthe axis of the tWo points, and -after the parts are properly adjusted,

in adjusted position. Th crank 38 may then be turi1ed for grir1ding both points 'simultariedusly.

,- 7 The sprin'g pressed arm I 5 Will af ford sufiicient presSureduring the grinding operation. A few turnsofzthe "crankjareusually sufficier1t. The grinder 1ement may be of any suitble construction, such, for instance, as theconventional com position grinder disks obtainable in the market.

While the device s especially well adapted for the grinding of the breaker points of distribtors,

it isu11derstood that it may be used in other relations, as occasionma require. 7

It is thought from the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawing that the construction and operation of our device will be apparent to those skil1ed in the art, and that changes in size,-shatae, proportion and details of construCtionmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

' ,We claim as our invention:- 1. In a distributor point arm adjustably connected to said element, a fiex ible drive shaftextending through said arm, a

of said arm, said arm having a sharp bend adjacent to said element,and a crank arm dn said shaft at the other ndof said arm,

2, A distributdr point grinder comprisingsasupport, a grinder supporting aini having a later,lly extendinglower end, a grinder element, means inclding adriVeshait extendingthrough said and niversal connction between said arm and support, meansfor clamping 'said ami in adjusted position on said support, and a d'ownwar'dly openin g clamp oh]said support for detachably"con 1iecting said support to the'upstaridin g wallof a distributor housing.

' 3. In combinat on, a grinder element a' supporting arm for said element, said arm havinga Sharp bnd adjacent said g1 finder elment,means grindr, an attching clamp member, an adjusting element connected to said member byyauniversal joint,,a supporting gr-inder element attached to said shaft at one end arm for rotatihg said grinder element, a sliding for rotating said element including a flexible sh,ft,

a support, means for rotatably,pivotally and Slid ably cOnnectingsaid arm to said support, clamping means}for rigidly connecting the support to an upstanding wall of a distributoi housing, and

'means for adjustably-rigidly conn6ctii1g said arm to said support;

supporting arm liaving a bent 'end,- a drive shaft 7 extending through sa;idarm,a gfinder lerr1ent on the end of said snart adjacent the;bent' end of said arm,a crank on the oppositepend of said arm, a support, means connecting said arfm to '4.In a grinder for breaker points, a hollow said support for universal movement of saidv arm and means forclamping said support to the side wall of a distfibutqr housing whereby said breaker points may be ground. r

5. In agrinder for 'distrlbutor points, a slipport, a suppoting ami having a curved portion, a, g'rinder carried by said curved portion, means carried by said arm for operating said grinder,

means for slidably and pivotally s'upporting said arm fronr said support and clamping means for corniecting said s'upport'to the wall of a distributor housing.

6.In a deviceof the class described,a claniping member comprising a body portion having a loop at e'ach end, a socket in each loop, the free ends,of said body portion being. onopposite 'sides' thereof, and a single e1 rxentehgaging said ends and extending thrtiughsaid body portion for,

simultaneously contracting said sockets.

- HARRY J; MCCONNELLJ ROBT. G. MCCONNELL. 

